# Classic Country - Your favorites? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733 "2012-10-24T15:02:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/61 "2012-10-27T14:16:26Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > A few to listen to:“It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” - Kitty Wells (many other covers out there as well) When I was a kid my mother had a Kitty Wells record. One of the songs was “I Gave My Wedding Dress Away:” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lYtKxgtn1do/hqdefault.jpg "Kitty Wells, I Gave My Wedding Dress Away") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYtKxgtn1do) As a young girl I thought it was so sad, and so noble of the singer to do what she did. Then I grew up an thought _“Girl, you had a close call! Why are you pining for a guy who would throw you over for your sister?”_ ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/62 "2012-10-27T14:59:27Z")
No love for schmaltzy old Kenny Rogers? _Coward Of The County The Gambler Lucille_ ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/63 "2012-11-01T16:18:20Z")
Give Western Swing a listen on [archive.org](http://archive.org). Artists I like: Bob Skyles & His Skyrockets Bob Dunn’s Vagabonds Clayton McMichen’s Georgia Wildcats Al Dexter Jimmie Revard & His Oklahoma Playboys Leon Selph & His Blue Ridge Playboys Dave Edward & His Alabama Boys ---
**Author:** ![Fatwater\_Fewl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@Fatwater\_Fewl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fatwater_Fewl)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/64 "2012-11-01T18:36:42Z")
Lot of great stuff here already. Tried not to duplicate anything. And I’ll add my vote for just about everything by Hank Williams. [George Jones - Bartender’s Blues](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTFXRIY6-fE) [Townes van Zandt - Pancho and Lefty (the original version)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SjwO17gsqU) [Townes van Zandt - Waiting Around To Die](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVuiCfIFKT0) [Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuyzrqEA2DQ) (get the entire album if you can) [Ray Charles & Willie Nelson - Seven Spanish Angels](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQL9KAoRvD8&feature=related) [The Charlie Daniels Band - The Devil Went Down To Georgia](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDm_ZHyYTrg) [The Charlie Daniels Band - Longhaired Country Boy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPjhakaK-yI) [Dolly Parton - Here You Come Again](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAplYnqLjXw) [Hank Williams - Cold Cold Heart](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usxi3mk1k3g) [Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson - Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_a4BU09GrU) [Merle Haggard - Okie From Muskogee](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UZUJQ5i8gk) [Merle Haggard - I Think I’ll just stay Here and Drink](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM0w6CgRjKc) [Tanya Tucker - Delta Dawn](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0Xgt37rVOo) [Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbo6WhbNRsc) [Loretta Lynn - Coal Miners Daughter](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhjiXSghdTw) [Jim Reeves - He’ll Have To Go](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nls0zrxx7UY) [Merle Haggard - Today I Started Loving You Again](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PY2yW9Biyo) [Marty Robbins - El Paso](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7RAIwznHek) [Ernest Tubb - I’m Walking the Floor Over You](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL8xnVbj5Ts) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/65 "2012-11-05T03:51:11Z")
Johnny Cash - [One More Ride](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo6SP4y3qSg) (though that recording is from around '89), [The One on the Right](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRlri2UxPFY), [Guess Things Happen That Way](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3-b5mo4Lks&feature=fvwrel), [The Ballad of Ira Hayes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPvGZ3gTHJM&feature=related) Johnny Russell - [Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3iVHxP8FQ&feature=related) Charlie Pride - [Burgers and Fries](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2rEqLtpl8g), [Is Anybody Going to San Antone](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTPmmNXHYoQ&feature=related) Conway Twitty - [Don’t Cry, Joni](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf8aBU0-Be0&feature=related) Tom T Hall - [(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm36X3ZapLg), [I Like Beer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i5k4I1AOEI) Hoyt Axton - [Della and the Dealer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BQZ3gt7hUI&feature=related), [Lion in the Winter](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-9WwgxTBzk&feature=related), [Boney Fingers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MBaGjVdaIk&feature=related) Loretta Lynn - [One’s on the Way](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMzSYyjNb74) Dolly Parton - Joshua, My Tennessee Mountain Home, Jolene, Apple Jack ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/66 "2012-11-10T20:23:19Z")
“Wabash Cannonball” - Roy Acuff & His Crazy Tennesseeans ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/67 "2012-11-11T08:43:33Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > “Wabash Cannonball” - Roy Acuff & His Crazy Tennesseeans Just because it’s late and I’m drinking and I don’t have that much to brag about: Roy Acuff was my step-father’s 1st cousin. (Trace the line back to Carr. Their shared grandfather was a horse & buggy doctor who my step-father would sometimes “help out” by carrying his bag.) Roy and his wife sent us an electric skillet when my first husband and I got married. When his mother died our family went to Nashville for the funeral. Met Minnie Pearl and Hank Williams Jr. who looked and acted like a greaser. All the men kept visiting an outbuilding where the liquor was kept. Roy’s place was on the river, nice, and Roy’d made many trips. While sitting in the rocking chairs on the long porch facing the river, Roy told me about the “vinyl sidyl” (siding)—he wasn’t drunk, he was talking in cursive lol—he’d got put on the house. It looked good. I’m 5’3" and he sat smaller in his rocker than I did. He didn’t really know me but had been close to my step-father (they still were up to their deaths) and he was just making nice in a rambling sort of way. I always appreciated his music, maybe more because it was “family.” And if I’ve actually posted this I really am in my cups. If this is met with resounding silence, okay. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/68 "2012-11-11T13:55:41Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > If this is met with resounding silence, okay. It’s a nice story. Glad you got to meet him. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/69 "2012-11-11T16:10:31Z")
Yes, good story. And I’m going to use the “talking in cursive” line. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/70 "2012-11-12T08:42:35Z")
🙂 Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/71 "2012-11-12T23:33:12Z")
It’s not old but try “Gulf Cost Highway” – the version with Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris, and see if you start crying when you hear it like I do. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733/72 "2012-11-13T01:52:45Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > Kris Kristofferson (though I much prefer other people’s versions of his hits.) — [Help Me Make It Through The Night](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh1y7Jkikuk). [Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztuXo9BuNAk). [Sunday Morning Coming Down](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxpTZYIbE6g). [Me and Bobby McGee](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-J7mLyD3yc). Jesus, what a songwriter. > > Well some of these have been already mentioned, but you can try the clips and see which ones you like. I find myself going back again and again to the Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson songs. Glad to see Kris getting his props. Agreed, his singing is like cheap whiskey poured through rusty barbed-wire, but he is one of the most amazing songwriters of the last century. I grew up listening to his lesser-known but equally powerful songs: _Casey’s Last Ride, Duvalier’s Dream, Darby’s Castle, The Best Of All Possible Worlds, Just The Other Side Of Nowhere._ Of course, many of his songs were hits for others: _Me And Bobbi McGee, Sunday Morning Comin’ Down, Help Me Make It Through The Night._ If you like Buck Owens, look for _Streets Of Bakersfield_, a duet he did with Dwight Yoakum. Classic honky-tonk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-country-your-favorites/638733.md?page=3)